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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · bulb · drill · wax · capital · fork · chip · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — army training
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. capital — money
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cell — a phone
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com